We check in with people at each stage of the cash transfer process to see how things are going. Take a look at some of their stories as they appear here in real-time.
Learn more about how recipients opt in to share their stories.
Describe the moment when you received your money. How did you feel?
I had been expecting these transfers because we had been told that we would receive the transfers on that day. I kept waking up at night and checking to see if I had been sent the money. When I finally received it in the morning, I was happy and excited. I thanked for the provision.
Describe the biggest difference in your daily life since you started receiving payments from GiveDirectly.
The biggest difference in my daily life is that I now have a cow for rearing. I had one cow before and decided to get another one that would increase the source of food for my family and an income from the sale of the excess. It will also act as a security in case of an emergency. I am also glad that I now have a cupboard to store my utensils. I used to store these in a sack and it was quite unhygienic. The transfers also helped me weed my farm. I had initially planned to sell a sheep in order to help me pay for the weeding of my farm but thankfully the transfers came in. I had not been feeling very well the past few days and the transfers also helped me pay the medical fees.
What did you spend your most recent transfer(s) on?
I bought a dairy cow for rearing using the transfer received from GiveDirectly. The cow would be a source of income for my family once it calves and would come in handy in the future when a need arises such as school fees payments. I also bought a chair and carboard for my house. I used the rest of the transfer to buy food, pay some school fees and also some clothes for my children.
Enrolled
access_time over 4 years ago
What does receiving this money mean to you?
I intend to use part of my first transfer of $200 to buy a heifer as an investment so that I can resale in some years to come at higher profits and cater for the education of my kids. The remaining amount of $300 is for equipping my house with household items like chairs and tables. I will use my second transfer to buy water tank to store water during rainy season for subsistence use.
What is the happiest part of your day?
My usual day entails carryout out normal household chores in the morning like cleanness, milking of cattle and preparing breakfast and lunch combined for my kids going to school and back for lunch. Afterwards, I take my cattle for grazing up until evening where I take them to drink water and then back home. My happiest part of the day comes by in the evening when the quantity of milk produced is high.
What is the biggest hardship you've faced in your life?
I dropped out of school at a very early stage of my education(primary level) and got married at 17 years. Things have been difficult in this marriage life since I have to toil in casual labour around my village in order to sustain my family. Had I continued with my education, maybe things could have been different as I could be having a reliable job to fend for my family. I still ruin the day I had to end my education that early.
